As we are now in the throes of summer, we’ve asked several accomplished women of style whom we admire to come up with their Sweet Summer Indulgences for the season. This week we invited Stacey Bewkes—Founder of Quintessence, a luxury lifestyle blog.

The scents, the songs, the family traditions, the quirky (but lovable) guests—these are life-enriching deposits in our memory banks. We asked “Women’s Voices” writers to look back over the years and share with us the Thanksgiving reflections that make them smile.

Here’s a quartet of hostess gifts guaranteed to reflect your thoughtfulness and express your gratitude for a well-executed gathering. They are all meant to give your hostess some much-deserved moments of indulgence.

As we wrap up summer, we asked several accomplished women of style whom we admire to come up with 10 Sweet Indulgences for the season. This week our invitation went to Susan Sokol—a renowned leader in the global fashion industry.

This town takes the celebration of the Fourth very seriously. Marblehead’s contribution to our winning the American Revolution was significant. In 1775, the town formed the 14th Continental Regiment, made up of seamen. It was Marblehead men who rowed Washington across the Delaware to the Battle of Trenton.

Afton, just fifteen miles east of downtown St. Paul, is a step back in time. Afton has no shopping malls, fast food restaurants, or stoplights. On a normal day it has very little traffic. Well, a traffic jam might happen if more than three cars arrive at the post office at the same time.

On the verge of summer in Massachusetts: my “Little Miss Kim” lilac arrives in a burst of grapey color and then immediately fades to white, leaving behind a trail of sweet perfume that fills the yard for days. . .

This is my idea of party heaven, a late afternoon–evening of the world as I’d like it to be: surrounded by people special to me, musicians strolling playfully, and an endless supply of chicken enchiladas. After 15 yearly events, I’m a specialist in soirées.

We had scheduled more than enough time to arrive early for a change of clothes but then a small town summer parade upended our careful timing, forcing us to take a forty-five minute detour along winding and narrow back roads. I have been in this situation many times before. Socially, I am often just a bit off in time. So, I have learned to be resourceful.

You’d imagine that Valentine’s Day was over-the-top between my mother and my father. No. Let cheating husbands beguile their wives with heart-shaped truffles on February 14. Instead, my parents winked at Cupid and dedicated the day to family love.

My mother, like many ’50s wives, embraced her household jobs with vigor and pride. Every Friday she “shoveled out the camp.” She tackled the kitchen sink stains with Hilex and scouring powder, scrubbed the worn linoleum floor on her hands and knees with Spic and Span, sterilized the bathroom from floor to ceiling. For a while she continued to dabble in her painting and embroidery . . .

I reminded The Husband that the mayor had suggested that, to prepare for the Storm of the Century, we fill a bathtub full of water to use to flush the toilets when the electricity goes out. Reluctantly he agreed to take on this responsibility.